Project Mech: The Path to the Lightstone
by cj3003
Summary: After being captured and thrown in jail, Natalie Ra'shev finds herself in a bad situation. Luckily, she had an chance to escape to a newly found continent called Favieth, a land filled with mystery and corruption. Joining a faction called the Crafters, she and her friends look for the infamous Lightstone, hunted by the first Metalmaster himself. Of course, she isn't the only one.
1. Prologue

~Natalie Ra'shev~

"Hey! Natalie, help me up here!"

I crouched behind a crate placed on the side of the two story house. My brother Nick was around the corner from me. I left from behind my wooden cover, walking along the yellow-colored outside walls of the home. My leather boots were silent upon the well-kept green grass of the small flower garden, making me a little more stealthy in this midnight infiltration. I looked around before turning the corner.

The populated streets were now lifeless in the face of night, the only life being the faint flicker of candle-lit street lights that swayed in the influence of the nightly gales. Checking both left and right, it seemed the coast was clear. Before proceeding, I checked behind me just in case. The alley behind the home was just as empty as well, save for the old intoxicated man sleeping next to a door. I shrugged, assuming the wash-up was no threat.

Turning the corner, I spotted my brother leaping for a window, attempting to grasp the red rim of the window. His black hood bobbed up and down in a delayed fashion, occasionally revealing his long keidran muzzle. His rounded, disc-like ears were popped out of the hood, as he insisted to keep them uncovered.

"Nick! Stop making a commotion!" I demanded quietly in a harsh whisper.

He turned to me, his violet eyes lighting up in frustration, "Then help me! I can't quite reach it from here."

I rolled my eyes playfully, walking up beside him. I pushed him lightly on the shoulder and crouched down. Holding out my hands, I interlocked them for a platform for Nick to boost off of.

"You can't reach it because you are short, Nick!" I teased.

He didn't look away from the window, but instead kept his entire attention on the wall. Nick looked up and down at both the window and my hands, trying to calculate his jump.

Placing his foot on my hands, he responded subtly, "I am not short. I'm taller than you, at least."

I smiled and boosted my brother up to the window. He grunted as he pushed his paw off my rising hands, gaining the necessary distance to grab the window. After grabbing the red windowsill, he climbed into it awkwardly, his legs dangling a bit while he struggled to get in. I snickered quietly at my brother's attempts.

He leaned out of the window, his face wrinkling in a frown, "Shut up, Natalie! It's hard to climb into a window without help!"

I shrugged with a smug smile, signaling with my hand to have him help me. He leaned farther out of the window, holding out his arm for assistance. I backed up a few steps, trying to get a running start. I shifted gears and ran forwards, my leather boots still virtually silent in the night. As I approached the wall, I placed my foot against it, stepping quickly to make sure gravity doesn't work against me in my small window of time. I extended my arm and grabbed at my brother's arm roughly. I grabbed up a bit too far, and my hand slid down his limb. He stopped me from falling any further by clenching his grasp tighter when my hand reached his.

My body dangled a little with only Nick as support, and I quickly swung myself to the wall. Nick grabbed my arm with his other one as well, and lifted me into the window. The warmth of the house hit me like a heated wall, sheltering me from the cold winds of the night outside. The angle in which I entered the house was off, so I instead stumbled into the house, trying my best to not hit anything while I regained my poor balance. Unfortunately, my attempts were quickly turned ill.

I bumped into an end table that had a well decorated brown vase placed atop it. I winced as the vase spun threateningly. The vase spun into its side and fell unto its wooden surface below it, only making a tiny bumping sound. I released a silent sigh, thinking how a vase almost blew our infiltration.

Of course, I'm not that lucky. The brown vase rolled off the quint end table, shattering into various little pieces. I looked down in disbelief and horror, knowing me and Nick were royally screwed over.

A door behind us swung open slowly, and an older human lady walked out from the room, rubbing her eyes. She looked sleepy, if the bags under her eyes were any indication. Her eyes shifted around the room lazily. We had no time to move, so we just had to stay still and hope she would be too tired to notice.

The human's eyes widened as she spotted us. Her mouth gaped open in shock, stuttering out syllables in fear. "Well shit," I thought, knowing we were doomed.

Nick swiftly pulled out a shortsword that was attached to his hip, the unsheathing sword making a drawn-out metallic sound. He slowly made his way over to the older woman, holding his weapon pointed out from his right hand menacingly. The lady quivered in fear and backed away as slowly as he neared. I placed my hand firmly on Nick's chest, my hand grazing across the black fabrics of his thieving clothes.

Speaking in keidran so the lady wouldn't understand us, I shook my head with disapproval.

"We can't hurt this lady, Nick! We aren't killers!"

"I wasn't going to kill her, I… I just don't want to get caught, Natalie! Not again," he pleaded, looking down with depression.

Suddenly, a burly man stepped out of the room the lady had shown up from, his big bald head red with anger. He had a longsword placed in both hands and he moved his big body in front of the now petrified woman. His brow dripped with sweat, either in anger or from having to carry around a body mass like his.

"Get the hell away from Charlotte, you dirty dogs!" the fat man screamed, raising up his sword. I stepped forward and held out my hands in defense, showing I wanted peace.

"Sir, we will leave, just let us g-"

"No way, bitch! You little mutts ain't going anywhere! Come into my house attempt to hurt my wife? Well… I hope you had a good run, 'cause you've reached the end of the line!"

The woman stood from the wooden floor and grabbed the man's wide shoulder. He turned his head sideways to look this Charlotte character, his angered face relaxing at the worried look of his wife.

"Don't hurt them, darling!" she pleaded, "They probably don't know any better!"

He sighed heavily, his saddened emotion slowly shifting to honored rage.

"I'm sorry… but I have to protect you. Even if that means you hating me."

The man pointed his blade at my neck, only an inch or two away from it. I stepped back in fear of my life, and quickly place my hand unto my hip. I looked down in horror as I saw the trusty identical shortsword of Nick's I had owned was missing from my side. To both my joy and surprise, Nick had jumped in front of my fear-fueled body and had knocked the threatening sword away from us. The fat man stumbled backwards, nearly losing his footing with every awkward step. He just got more ticked, and charged straight towards Nick. My brother rolled away from the charge easily, sliding across the floor and landing the roll beautifully as he extended out his legs once more to stand. But without any force to stop the charging man, he came barrelling toward me with a surprise on his face.

I instinctively held my hands out in front of my face to use my arms as a sort of shield to protect more vital things. I closed my eyes and prepared for imminent pain from the longsword about to strike me. The steel blade ran easily through my left arm, grazing the flesh on the edge of my arm, the black fabric catching and slowing the blade before it ran clean through that as well. His bulky body slammed into me barbarically, launching me and him into the nearby wall.

As my back and skull hit the wall, my body surged in pain. I shrieked in pain, curling into a fetal position on the cold wooden floor below me as a massive headache - or _trauma_ \- exploded into my head. I grabbed my injured forearm with my stronger right hand, feeling the fluidness of blood fill my hand quickly from the large gash.

My senses started to fade out, and both audio and visuals become blurry and fuzzy as I struggled to retain any shard of consciousness that rattled within me. The pain was unbearable, I had never felt so much pain like this before. Sure, I've gotten bumps, bruises, and scrapes before, but I've never gotten seriously injured while doing what I did.

I exhaled slowly as my senses started to slip away all together. Maybe… just maybe, it was better to slip away and just…

 _Sleep_.


	2. Chapter 1 - One Escape

I finally awoke to an outside warmth that shown brightly upon my face. I squinted my tired and hazy eyes and quickly covered them with the back of my hand. Slowly adjusting to the exterior light, I removed my hand and looked down at my arm. It was bandaged now, but it didn't stop it from bleeding. A rather large blood stain covered the majority of the bandage. I immediately noticed the concrete walls all around me and the iron bars vertical in front. I ran up to the bars in disbelief, grasping them tightly in my hands and looked around in fear.

"No… no, no, no!" I whispered furiously shaking the bars. It was no use. I slid down slowly to the ground, sitting on the cold hard ground. Grabbing my knee, I pulled my legs into my face and sat there silently, burying my face into my legs.

"I was caught! I'm in jail!" I whispered in disbelief, my voice cracking a bit as I started to sob. How am I supposed to survive? How is Nick supposed to survive? The town of Sarn hates keidran criminals, and we usually never get trials. Especially for thievery, most just get sentenced to death or worse.

To my surprise, I heard stepping within my cell. I looked up with hope, a few tears that clinged to my cheek fur flying loose from my sudden movement. My brother stood in front of me, his normal thieving outfit seeming to be missing. He was instead wearing a sort of nightgown like garment, the button-up shirt and baggy pants both matching to make a blueish gray color. He smiled deviously as he looked down at me, almost as if he was laughing internally at me. He held out his hand to help me up, a big grin still on his face. I extended my arm and accepted the kind gesture, being lifted onto the ground.

"Hey, Natalie. Sorry about… everything. It all went wrong," he apologized, looking down in shame. I smiled and patted his shoulder, his drooping ears perking up slightly as I soothed his worried emotions.

"Don't worry, Nick!" I consoled happily, "Everything is fine as long as we are still together. Besides, given the situation, you reacted logically and in an instant. Even though you couldn't, I know you were just trying to protect me at all costs."

He looked down at the white layers of bandage that stretched across my entire left forearm. His expression soured as his ears drooped once more, looking away in shame and his own failures. I didn't know how to help Nick, I knew that he felt guilty, but there isn't anything to say that would cheer him up. Maybe changing the topic will do me justice?

"So…" I said casually, "How long are we going to be locked for?"

He looked away from me again, facing a wall with an uneasy expression.

"Erm… Well, we aren't going to be in here long, I suppose."

I smiled happily, "That's great! How did you manage that? Or did some of laws just change? I always knew the government had a little soft spot for us keidran. Like, how long ar-"

"Natalie, that's… that's not what I meant," he said.

I looked at inquisitively, "Huh? Then… what did you mean?"

He looked at me, a small collection tears trapped on the edge of his eyelid. I didn't understand, what could possibly be wrong about us getting to leave early?

The door of the holding room creaked open, and a young officer stepped into the room, his shoulder-length, wavy, raven colored hair spilled from under his cylindrical hat.

"Officer Stein!" I shouted in glee as I quickly ran up to the bars. The officer took of his hat and bowed at me, a big smile on his human face as he put on his navy-blue hat again.

Officer Stein was the only Watch member we could trust. We were always pleased to see him over all other officers, as he usually would let us get away with things without big consequences. It's like he knew how hard it was to be an orphan and to have to resort to criminal practices to get by.

"How's my little con-artist doing today?" he asked jokingly, putting both his hat and coat on the rack placed on the wall next to the front door.

"Eheh… Not so well," I said, lifting up my injured arm to show him.

"Ouch… at least it looks a bit better from the first time I saw it. It's not as swollen."

"Wait, you've seen my injury before?" I asked curiously.

He nodded, "Oh yea. You bled all over me as I took you down here," he smiled jokingly.

"You were the officer to find us?"

Nick came into my view, and stood against the bars of the jail cell.

"Yeah, he found us. It was only a few moments after you were knocked out. The big bastard was trying to hold me down as I clawed and kicked at him, but I guess no amount to scratched could get him off of me. Officer Stein quickly pushed the fatty off me and scooped both us up and placed us here. Believe it or not, we are lucky to be here right now. Most of the other watch members would have just killed us right then and there," Nick explained.

"Wow… well, thank you for _not_ killing us, Stein!" I smiled.

He shrugged with a grin, "My pleasure."

His joking attitude became rather serious in an instant, like he had just seen the world end behind us or something.

"Like I'm sure Nick has told you, the two of you aren't staying here for long. If he hasn't, then… surprise!"

Turning to Nick, he opened his mouth to speak, "Would you like to explain the situation or should I?"

He looked away, "Go ahead, Stein."

Sighing, Stein continued, "I can't bear to see you kids like this. You shouldn't be criminals, you are far too good to be doing that. But this time, I couldn't get you out of jail for free. You committed a serious crime, I hope you realize that. Invading a home? Disturbing the peace? _Attacking_ a home owner? How do I save you from that this time?"

I shrugged, "Well, you apparently did it this time."

"Right, but you won't like what it will take to get you free," Stein warned.

"For both of you, there are separate options. For Nick, it's a rather simple one: you can be drafted into the Templar army and serve for them. That will not only keep you out of trouble, but it let all of your experience come in handy!"

Turning to me, Stein's eyes looked at me sadly, "For you, Natalie… well, I tried my hardest to keep you and Nick together, like you've always strived to do. I looked through all the loopholes I could last night, I didn't even sleep. I just searched and searched, but… nothing came up. You are just simply too young to join the Templar army with Nick, no matter the position."

"Wait, c'mon, there's gotta be something," I tried.

"I'm sorry, Natalie. There just isn't. In human years, you must be at least nineteen to join the Templar army. Your age in human years is… roughly sixteen or seventeen, considering you just turned ten a few months ago if I'm not mistaken."

I looked around, "If I can't join the army… than what can I do?"

"Well normally, nothing. You would have had to rot in jail for probably most of your life, considering the sentence. For humans, no time at all, but the government doesn't consider the shortened lives of keidran."

Scratching his chin, he smiled, "Luckily for you, there is… one more alternative."

"Well, let's hear it then," I demanded.

"You know the newly discovered continent that is north east of Mekkan?" Officer Stein asked anxiously, as if he was waiting for a big reveal.

I shrugged, "I think so… It's that place with all the abandoned ruins with 'technological advances' littered about them?"

"Right you are!" Stein exclaimed happily, "Faiveth is full of mysteries and secrets, and is a hotspot of adventures. It's also a great location for people looking to settle away from their previous. _Or if they have to escape Mekkan_."

"Oh, I can see where this is going," I sighed, rolling my eyes, "You want me to travel to this Faiveth and start with a clean slate?"

Stein nodded, "You got it. So, consider your options here. You can either sit here and jail and spend the rest of your days looking at brick walls…"

"Or, you could go to Faiveth and make a new life for yourself," Stein bargained, "Think about it, it's a newly founded continent and rich with colonies. Colonies always need help, and you could easily slide into a job and do something positive with your life for once!"

I crossed my arms and looked away from Officer Stein.

"And why are you so convinced I wouldn't just start conning again?" I asked in a bitter tone.

I was surprised to see Nick walk up and put a hand on my shoulder. He looked into my eyes pitifully, his pain almost transferring to me.

"Because you hate this, Natalie. You hate conning, you hate that I have to steal, you hate that we live on the streets, and most of all, you hate this goddamn city."

I nodded slowly, every part of me not wanting to admit what he said was true. I couldn't lie to myself, however. Even if I wanted to believe it, I would still know it was true. I don't like conning people out of their money, but it's something I have to do. It's the only thing I know how to do, and it's the only thing I can provide when it comes to financial support.

Nick learned how to thieve by observing the people on the streets when we were very little. He started with petty thievery, stealing a pie from the baker's window, snatching a few coins from a coin purse. He started to get better and faster, and eventually could still things like jewelry and large amounts of gold without a problem. Though Nick was good at stealing people's money, I was better at tricking people into _giving_ me their money.

But, he was still right. Even though I did it almost daily, I knew conning was a bad practice. I always tried to con rich people, as they are greedy and hardly deserve the wealth they are blessed with, I sometimes had to work my magic on… less fortunate people. I have no remorse for the rich, especially if they were humans, but I could hardly stand conning people that were just as worse off as we were.

"You're right, Nick. I… I hate what I do. But what else can I do? This is only thing I know how to do!"

Stein wagged a finger at me, "Well, I hear there's a group of mechanical enthusiasts named The Crafters up there in Goldreach City. They are always looking for new members! I'm sure they would be willing to teach you what they know!"

I looked at Stein inquisitively, "Wait… I thought you've never left Mekkan before… and hardly anywhere else than this city!"

Stein shrugged, "You aren't wrong. The town of Sarn is my home, and I don't usually leave it. The only reason I know about Faiveth or The Crafters in the first place is because of my brother. He lives up there with them, and we send mail back and forth all the time. From the sounds of it, Faiveth is a lovely continent."

I sighed heavily, "Okay, okay… I think you've got me convinced. I'll go to this continent or whatever, and I'll meet 'The Crafters'. Just… how am I getting there?"

Stein smiled, unlocking the cell, "Oh, don't worry about that! I've spent money out of my own pocket to get you a ride to Faiveth on a cargo ship. It's an old-fashioned wooden caravel, but it's a bit smaller than its ancestors. Well I mean, it's a cargo boat, so what did you expect?"

"Come on now, Natalie!" Stein cheered happily, "I'll lead you to the docks. Nick will wait in here for a Templar official to pick him up."

"Stein… why are you doing this for me?" I asked genuinely.

He looked away, "Well, my job is to get criminals off the streets. This is a way, I suppose."

I shook my head, "What's the real reason, Officer Stein?"

Sighing, he looked back into my eyes with his own brown pair, "Look, I like you two, okay? Just something about you guys… you just seem different from all the other criminals. Maybe it's the fact you are orphans, or maybe… maybe it's because you and Nick remind me of me and my brother. You two would do anything to keep each other safe, and you always work together. I guess… I kind of wish me and my brother were as close."

"You aren't close with your brother?" Nick asked behind Stein.

"It's not that," Stein explained, "You two just have a really tight bond, y'know? Me and my brother were close as kids, sure, but we always seemed to drift away. I cared for you two because I didn't want the same to happen to you kids."

"That doesn't make sense then… You are separating us now!" I pointed out.

He turned quickly to me, his face filling up with anger, "Only because I have to! I tried my hardest to watch over you and keep you together, but you only make it harder and harder to do that each day!"

"He's got a point, Natalie," Nick said, defending him, "Officer Stein is the only person in Sarn besides ourselves that we could trust. He's only done good by us. I personally believe he did everything he could to keep us together, but things don't always work out like we want it too."

Stein never did anything wrong for us, so maybe I should just trust him on this. He was surprisingly wise for being almost as old as Nick in human years. I've never doubted him before this, so there is no reason to do it now.

"Alright, Stein. I'm ready to go to the docks. Let me just say goodbye to Nick."

He nodded, "Of course."

Turning to Nick, I could visibly see the tears in his eyes. I couldn't tell if he was happy or just trying to hide his sadness, but his lips curled into a quivering smile. I walked up a few steps to him and gave him a gentle hug. Nick returned it with the same gentleness, sobbing quietly into my shoulder.

"I'm scared, Natalie… I've never been longer than a week without you," he sobbed softly.

A few tears fell from my eyes as I held him closer, "I'm scared too, Nick. But this is the only choice we have. It won't be so bad. We could always do what Stein does and just write to each other."

He nodded, wiping off the remaining droplets of tears, "Yeah, we could probably do that."

Stein walked up behind me, pointing to the door, as if asking if I was ready. I nodded, and walked from the barred door of the jail cell and to the front door of the station. Nick waved me goodbye reluctantly. I waved one little have to him as I made though the door and into the rather active morning streets of Sarn.

Stein looked at me, "C'mon. It's not too far from here, we shouldn't take long at all."

I nodded quietly, walking beside him. What am I supposed to do without Nick? He's the only person I knew to trust, besides Stein! I won't know who to talk to, and even if I did, I'm lacking in social skills! How will I make friends? How will I make money? These "Crafters" are the only lead I have, for crying out loud!

Stein noticed my troubled look and patted my shoulder softly, "Hey, don't look so down, Natalie. I've got a good friend of mine leading you to Faiveth by boat. He's one of the best captains I've seen!"

Realizing his words didn't help, Stein stopped me and gave me a warm hug.

"Everything will sort itself out, Natalie."

I sighed lightly, and returned the hug.

"I just hope you are right."


End file.
